1. Kartarpur Opening Tomorrow, Pak Army Overrules Imran Khan: Passport Needed
Barely 48 hours before the first batch of Sikh pilgrims, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, takes the corridor to Kartarpur Sahib across the border, conflicting statements emerged from Pakistan’s government and Army over a key requirement for Indians, a passport.
Hours after Pakistan’s Army overruled an offer made by Prime Minister Imran Khan that passports would not be required for Sikh devotees from India, its Foreign Office underscored the PM’s decision.
Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal tweeted, “As a special gesture, #Pakistan announced concessions on the auspicious occasion of 550th Birth Anniversary of #BabaGuruNanak to facilitate pilgrims.” Faisal went on to claim that India had refused “these facilitative measures”.
(Source: The Indian Express)
2. Special Fund for Completion Only for Houses Up to 2,150 Sq Ft
Apartments and villas with a carpet area of up to 200 square metres, or around 2,150 square feet, will be eligible for funding from the Rs 25,000-crore fund to revive stalled real estate projects, the government said on Thursday, 7 November. The floor area ceiling is in addition to the price ceiling to ensure that they benefit low and middle-income projects that have come to a standstill due to a liquidity crunch.
Apart from restrictions on the size of the house, the investment fund will cap the exposure to a project at Rs 400 crore and there will also be a cap on the amount of assistance that can be provided to a builder or even a city to avoid any concentration risk.
(Source: The Times of India)
3. Land, Faith, Politics: Big Supreme Court Rulings Up Next Week
The second half of next week will be one of the most significant in the history of the Supreme Court with a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, who retires on 17 November, set to deliver at least four important and much-awaited judgments: on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, on review petitions over the purchase of Rafale jets from France, the entry of female worshippers between the ages of 10 and 50 into the Sabarimala temple, and on whether the CJI’s office falls within the sweep of RTI Act. All the judgments are likely to be delivered on 13, 14, and 15 November.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. For Faster Resolution, NBFCs to Be Brought Under IBC Purview
The Centre is expected to notify rules under Section 227 of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code which will allow the National Company Law Tribunal to order a resolution plan for non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) too. At present, under IBC, financial institutions cannot be taken for resolution to NCLT.
A source in the government, who did not wish to be named, told The Indian Express, “The government is working to put in place regulations under the IBC to ensure resolution of stressed NBFCs and HFCs.” Cases including that of DHFL is expected to gather pace once the section and rules are notified.
The notification will allow existing consortium of lenders and the existing resolution professional to take the financial service provider or the NBFC to the NCLT and seek a resolution plan that is binding on all parties.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. With BJP Not Staking Claim, Guv Consults AG, Sena Moves Its MLAs to City Hotel
As the countdown to the end of the current Maharashtra assembly’s term on Saturday, 9 November began, BJP state chief Chandrakant Patil met governor BS Koshyari on Thursday but the party didn’t stake claim to form the government. Immediately after the meeting, the governor began consultations with state advocate general Ashutosh Kumbakoni on the legal and constitutional options available amid the continuing political uncertainty.
Away from Raj Bhavan, drama unfolded in Bandra in the afternoon with the Shiv Sena corralling all its MLAs into Rangsharda hotel after they held a meeting with party president Uddhav Thackeray at his Matoshree residence.
(Source: The Times of India)
6. Delhi Lawyers’ Stir to Go on as Police Talks a Non-Starter
Talks between city lawyers and Delhi Police broke down before they even went underway on Thursday, 7 November, the ice failing to thaw in the face of simmering resentment on both sides over last weekend’s violent clash at a district court, a subsequent assault on officers by members of the legal profession and an unprecedented public protest by the police.
No discussion took place, with the lawyers returning after the police department deputed an officer of the rank of joint commissioner to attend the meeting, instead of more senior special commissioners or deputy commissioners. Delhi Police claimed that there had been a communication gap and it was supposed to be a meeting to discuss administrative issues.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
7. Insurers May Be Allowed to Offer OP Treatment, Gym and Yoga Membership
Health Insurance holders are likely to get more wellness and preventive features, including outpatient (OP) consultations or treatments, pharmaceuticals, health check-ups and diagnostics and discount vouchers in gyms and yoga centres as part of the policy package.
“Insurers may endeavour promoting wellness amongst health insurance policy holders by offering health-specific services provided by network providers or other empanelled hospitals and service providers,” the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has said in its draft guidelines.
The services proposed include “outpatient consultations or treatments, pharmaceuticals, health check-ups/diagnostics”, including discounts on these services by redeemable vouchers.
(Source: The Indian Express)
8. Writer Taseer Loses OCI Status, Govt Says He Hid Info on Pak Dad
Author Aatish Taseer’s Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status was cancelled on Thursday, 7 November, following a statement by the home ministry that he had suppressed information that his late father was of Pakistani origin.
The home ministry statement came in the wake of reports that it was set to revoke Taseer’s OCI card and that the trigger for the action was an article critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi (titled ‘Divider in Chief’) which Taseer had written for Time magazine in May. Later that month, after Modi returned to office, the magazine carried an article by another writer calling the PM a “unifier”.
(Source: The Times of India)
9. ED Links Emails in Agusta Money Trail to Nath’s Nephew
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) says it has linked Ratul Puri, nephew of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, to the money trail in the alleged kickbacks paid in the ~3,600 crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal by establishing his connection with three email IDs at the heart of its case.
In the latest, 93-page supplementary charge sheet ED filed against Puri in court on Saturday, the anti-money laundering agency goes into elaborate detail to show how the businessman and promoter of Hindustan Power Projects Limited used the email IDs through which, it claims, he gave and received information about the use of the proceeds of crime. The process involved creating multiple corporate entities to conceal transactions, the ED alleged.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
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